This year POBS introduced a new year-long Apprentice Program. Two alumni of the Youth Leadership Corps program were selected to play a pivotal role in selecting and developing next year’s YLC students. The apprentice program is designed to model Outward Bound’s core value of service. Participants will engage with their schools, neighborhoods and communities in positive ways and gain deeper learning experiences to discover and refine their leadership potential.
Meet our new 2016 New Jersey Youth Leadership Corps (NJYLC) apprentices.
Chris Roser | NJ YLC 2012 | Newark Academy High School
After attending my NJYLC Outward Bound Expedition, I became more confident in my decision-making and mental strength. I also discovered what I want out of a future career. Two basic ideas were engrained into my head: “I want to help people,” and “I want to work hard.”
I left my 48-hour solo experience thinking I wanted to be a pediatrician. I later realized I wanted a physical, standing-on-my-feet sort of job combined with the helping aspect, so I gradually narrowed down career choices from that starting point.
This summer I was fortunate enough to be an alumni chaperone for my high school’s two-week Southwest immersion. I got to explore various places in Utah and Arizona with my old Health and English teachers, along with about 12 high school students. I felt like the bridge between the faculty and students, and I really enjoyed the dynamic. I even got to bond with my old teachers outside a classroom setting—it was so freaking cool. We hiked in Zion National Park and a little bit of the Grand Canyon, and we also visited Arches National Park. The trip ended with a four day canoeing trip on the Green River in Utah. The experience definitely makes me want to return one day, and it has made me more open to traveling now that I had the chance to understand its value, firsthand.
When I heard about the Apprenticeship I was ecstatic. I am excited about physical therapy and Outward Bound, and know regardless of what I do in the future, this is a huge opportunity for me to improve myself and others.
Jennifer Storms | NJ YLC 2014 | Lacordaire Academy
I’m Jennifer, more commonly known as “Storms.” I graduated NJYLC in July 2014, and I am currently a senior at Lacordaire Academy. While on my NJYLC Outward Bound Expedition, I learned that I have so much more inner strength than I had ever thought. I also learned to be more confident in myself, which has taken me a long way already. I was recently recruited to play Division II soccer at Caldwell University.
I want to be an NJYLC apprentice to be a part of the change in students just like me. I want to help them to be strong and confident people as they start to figure out who they are. I also completely enjoyed my course and want to get back out there every chance I get. But most of all, going back out and being an apprentice is a way of giving back and impacting students in a positive and unforgettable way that I was once impacted.
Below, is “Storms” testimonial from her NJ YLC expedition.
